RKChallenge  April2011
by RK.Challenge
Summary: New month of the RK Challenge Community. All entries are KK. Enjoy!
1. Chapter 1

**Title: Holding Tightly **

**Author:** JeniNeji

Prompts: Seduction

AN: Follows A Night Hunt (Available on RK_Challenge of March).

Summary: If he wanted her dead, she would have been long ago.

* * *

><p>Kaoru was lying on her futon quietly unrolling an old scroll. Blue eyes glanced down at the black ink smeared over the yellow page nostalgically. She had written this, years ago, and the old pain of remembered old wounds made her heart stop for just a moment.<p>

September 9 of the year 1789

I finally arrived to my future husband's castle. His lands are vast and green. It tells me its people work diligently and are at peace with the actual reign. I have heard my future husband is just a common prince, however, a few months ago was named Crowned Prince. At the end, it matters not, politics are politics. Hopefully he won't be too excited about having a wife he has yet to know.

September 11 of the same year

I was so wrong. Apparently the Prince did know me. I was not aware he had requested me personally. I was prepared for a lifeless and bored marriage, but not even that I got. His constant presence and his stalkers personality it's driving me crazy. What did I do to deserve this?

September 17 of the same year

Yes, I broke his wrist. He should have known better than to touch me. Can't he see I am running away from him?

September 18 of the same year

I can't believe I'm actually feeling guilty. He deserved what I did to him, so how could he act like that? He was wearing that small kind smile as if I hadn't wronged him at all. It didn't make sense. I hurt him, he should have slapped me or something…not, smile.

September 19 of the same year

I changed the bandages around his broken wrist. He was whining like a baby and I couldn't just stop making fun of him. Hail the Great Grand Prince, the one who kills a hundred, whining like a girl. His embarrassed face was the best thing ever.

November 1 of the same year

He kissed me! And I let him! Oh, I am still blushing. His lips felt so…soft. Perhaps coming here wasn't so bad.

November 24 of the same year

Yes, we got married. Have a problem with that? I am not going to tell you what I felt or did, it's embarrassing and besides, I don't want anyone reading it. This is far too personal…yes, I can't, it's embarrassing.

A dark sensuous chuckle awoke Kaoru from her reveries, but she didn't turn to the man behind her. She knew him well enough. He had been wandering around the castle the last week and no one, not even the soldiers, had detected his presence yet. If he wanted her dead, she would have been long ago.

"I liked your smile," the red-haired assassin said as he rested his chin on her upper arms and his golden eyes settled on the scroll she was holding, "Smile like that more often."

Kaoru's smile turned sour and then it turned into a grin, "That smile was only for the good times."

Battousai's face moved up to her shoulder, neck before finally stopping at her ear. "Then I'll give you brand new _good times_" he promised and kissed the shell of her ear, rejoicing when her whole body shook involuntarily with long forgotten desire.


	2. Chapter 2

**Title: Furry chance  
>Author: JeniNeji<strong>  
>Prompt: Seduction<br>Words: 275  
>AN: This is a <em>weird<em> plot.  
>Summary: Kenshin and Kaoru meet in the next life but…<p>

* * *

><p>The rain fell upon them and the pair fastened all fours in order to find shelter. They found it below a huge and worn out truck. One couldn't be too picky.<p>

"Mou, I'm all wet," the small and black half-pomeranian said with a scowl, "Now I'm all smelly."

A barked-whine chuckle exploded at her side from the red fox, "You are," he said merrily.

"Mou, Kenshin!" the Pomeranian pup whined almost at the brink of tears.

The red furred animal cuddled even closer and licked the pomeranian's muzzle, and slyly said, "Well, this one would definitely enjoy licking every hair on you."

The black pomeranian's muzzle spiked out of embarrassment and she moved away from the fox. She sat a few steps away and hugged her small and wet body with her tail, "You are so different."

"Well, since I was reborn as an animal…I can behave as one and not feel guilty," the fox said sensuously and scurried the water from his fur before once again approaching his chosen companion, "You want to do some _animal_ things Kaoru?"

"Eww, we are not even the same species," whined Kaoru mournfully.

"Well…," but his improper analogy or comment was cut down by a blue-eyed hard glare, "Life can give someone lemons, ne?"

Kaoru sighed tragically, "Two lifetimes of bad luck means…we had to do something _really_ bad in our previous life."

Kenshin nuzzled his head over Kaoru's tenderly, "Well, we can always commit suicide and start a new one," he suggested with a shrug.

"Suicide? We _never_ did so in our previous life. What if there are _no other ones_ if we do so."

"Nah, we probably will, but it's going to be a shitty one," he said with a shrug of his shoulders.

"_Let's take a train. You don't know where it will take you, but…"_

* * *

><p><em>*The last line is a part of INCEPTION, I just don't know the exact words. Great muse-shaking movie. It made my creativity dance<em>.


	3. Chapter 3

**Title: Cat tales****  
><strong>**Author: JeniNeji**  
>Prompt: Riddle<br>Words: 1631  
>AN: Forgive the repetitive animal topic. I'm excited about my puppy. She's slowly turning into an adult, sniff.<br>**Summary**: An ordinary night, murder, magic, and hey…a black cat.

* * *

><p>The red haired detective opened the door to his black car with tired sag of his shoulders. He left his brown leather coat behind and closed the door with a careless thud. Instantly he was greeted by a pair of nods from his acquaintances as he moved from the street into the front garden of the semi-rural house. It was mostly made of cement, but the whole left side was made or covered by an old and beautiful polished wood. At the top, over the roof there were lots of palm tree leaves finishing the rustic looks. It was comfortable looking, but at the same time it gave him the creeps. The house—to sum it all—was a mix of normalcy and oddity at the same time. To him, it represented a person with a double personality or dual life. Both made for a an annoying riddle and definitely harder job.<p>

"Himura," a police officer greeted as he came closer to the mentioned detective, "The name was Justine Harrows. She was found dead near the lake this afternoon. She had marks on her wrist and old knife scars in her hands."

Kenshin nodded and accepted the file. Violet eyes glanced at the pictures and over the general information with sharp eyes. After a quick inspection he returned the papers, "Any suspect?"

The police office shrugged and glanced at his surroundings nervously before once again directing himself to Himura, "Many." At the confused look on Kenshin's face the officer explained further, "Everyone said she was a witch."

"Magic, huh?" Himura asked and nodded his head in clear understanding.

"Do you believe such nonsense?" the officer asked with a scowl, "Those are merely myths."

Kenshin nodded his head once again, this time in acknowledgement, "And so many felt it necessary to kill a fictional witch. Perhaps not everyone thinks it's foolish." After that the 5'4 red head walked away leaving behind him a very confused police officer.

Kenshin put on some latex gloves—as to not mess up with the evidence—and pushed open the entrance door. He stopped for a moment and concentrated on his senses and waited.

He felt the magic wrapped inside the house circled him hungrily and yet at the same time comfortingly. Magic met magic when he pushed his latent powers to the surface of his skin and he tried to submerge himself in between the folds of every spell. If he tried enough and managed to discern one spell from another he could tell the lifestyle of the victim. If she had a wicked gleam to her, then it would be far more difficult to find a proper suspect since they tended to have far too many adversaries, and past enemies. If she—by the other hand—had a purer soul and her magic was innocent, the very same soul would help him find the culprit. It was the way of life, or magic.

To his utter surprise, every time he tried to reach for a spell or any magic it would simply vanish. It was as if the woman had made sure no one could track her, or her doings. He felt the inner need to continue, and find something he could use to get a grip of her, but logic stated otherwise. He stopped meddling with the spells and gave a step back and was out of the house. He made a 180 degree turn and was met by a few questioning glances but he ignored them all. He unpocketed his mobile and dialed number 2. He moved out of the property in search of some privacy. After two rings, the line was picked up.

"What?" a man's voice boomed into his eardrums.

"There is a spell," Kenshin said evenly, "It doesn't let me track her magic."

"Hmm," grumbled the voice at the other side of the line. After a few heartbeats the voice finally began again, "I'll send a spell. It will nullify all spells inside the house, but it will leave something traceable, at least. Be sure to pick it up in five." After that the line went dead.

Kenshin went to the car and pressed his palms over the car and waited for a few moments until he collected his breath. He could feel the pressure of the magic surrounding the house tugging at his consciousness. It was both a gift and a curse to have the affinity of magic he had. He was _good_, and that was an understatement, he was the _best._ But sometimes, he wished he wasn't. It came with a responsibility, a burden that was starting to make him crumble. Right now, he felt he needed to sleep a week in order to rest fully. Sadly in his line of work, he should be grateful if he got six hours.

The familiar tugging of his Master's magic startled him and a smirk found its way on lips. He was on time, as always. Kenshin stretched his sore muscles and returned to the victim's house with a smile. He ignored the various stares he was receiving and once again pushed the door open. He took a deep breath and once again shifted his awareness and tuned his senses to that of the house.

After centering himself he dug into the collective he, his Master and their associates shared and fished for the right spell. It came to him as he summoned it and he invoked it with a simple mental enchantment. The spell burst in a pale yellow. It darted all around his consciousness with a fierce swiftness and when he felt it tugging against his mental barrier he let go. The sparks exploded and then imploded inside the house touching absolutely everything. He watched in awe as spells began to fade all around him. Slowly the house seemed to die until only the few real and spell-less remained. Now the house looked somber and lonely, the empty remains of what had once been a home.

Kenshin studied the surroundings in detail. There was nothing of much worth, what meant the woman depended on her magic fully in her daily life. It was strange though, a woman who reeked of so much magic should have been known to him and his Master. How did she manage to escape their radar?

Sudden movements at his side made him tense and assume an offensive stance but he was quick to relax when he spotted a long limbed black cat jumping from the wooden table to the floor just in front of him. He lowered his eyes to the cat and instead of the yellow eyes he expected to find his violet eyes locked with navy blue eyes. He tilted his head to the side but was amazed when the small feline didn't twitch a muscle, instead kept its cool stare on him, "What are you looking at?" he asked in a friendly tone but refrain from touching the cat. Sometimes they were as volatile as they came and he didn't want to risk the scratch and the ardor it came with it.

The cat merely kept looking at him, but relaxed enough as to sit. This gave the detective enough confidence as to reach out to the cat. Shockingly the animal didn't cower at his hand, or the magic circling on it, and he was able to stroke the animal's fur. It was soft and warm and a gentle smile reached his eyes, "You were Justine's pet, weren't you?" The red head was startled when the animal turned hard eyes in his direction and he stopped petting the cat. A frown marred his face and he blinked his eyes and a golden haze appeared on his vision. He studied the animal carefully for a moment before he dropped his second gaze and once again looked at the cat, "You were her familiar. It explains why her magic wasn't as traceable. You got a lot of her aura on you, must be uncomfortable."

Kenshin left the cat and once again stood up. He eyed the house one last time before glancing down at the cat again, "You know what, I'm taking you home with me." He didn't know why he was directly speaking to a feline who couldn't understand him, but it served to soothe him somehow.

He watched as the cat stood again and then scratched behind its ear making a shimming sound resound all around the house. His violet eyes blinked confusedly but he couldn't see a collar around the cat's neck. He grabbed the cat—emboldened by the small black animal's relaxed attitude towards him—and checked it for a collar and found none. The cat's navy eyes fixed on him, but there was no fear or violence in the cat. He inspected it further and when he was about to set it down he found a small earing with two bells on it. He placed the cat against his chest and moved his now free hand to the earring. He hit the bells and the familiar sound once again exploded but the cat didn't seem to mind it one bit.

Confused but too tired Kenshin only shrugged his shoulders, "Well, let's get home…cat. We will talk about your fate tomorrow." The animal glanced up at him and he felt self-conscious about the cat's interest on him. It could very well be his magic which attracted the small pet's attention. Then another question came to his mind, "I hope you don't mind," he started and raised the cat past his head, "but I want to check what gender my new housemate it's going to be."

The black cat hissed menacingly and Kenshin put it back against his chest without checking, "Yep, a female, now I have no doubts."


	4. Chapter 4

**Title: Life together**  
><strong>Author: JeniNeji<strong>  
>Prompt: Appetizer<br>Rating: T  
>Words: 733<br>AN: Follows 'Cat Tales'.  
>Summary: The joys of rooming.<p>

* * *

><p>Kenshin walked up the stairs to his apartment. Today was one of those days when the elevator decided to crash on you. Thankfully he only had one bag and it wasn't so heavy.<p>

The stairs that would have taken many ten minutes he did in three and he was proud of it. Having magic had its quirks. He couldn't really fly up to his floor—the seventh—but he had the stamina to back his muscled legs. Well, perhaps there could be some sort of charm or spell to _fly_ but he detested the use of needless magic. If there was something he could do with his hands—and humanity—he will do so.

The red haired male opened the door to his apartment and kicked it close softly. The door didn't even make a sound. A small smirk appeared on his lips, "_Tadaima!_" Why he announced his visit? He wasn't sure, it wasn't as if the cat was going to reply back, and if it did, he was going to shit himself. So, he waited a few moments and the cat didn't even come to greet him. Not one to let things get him down Himura walked towards his kitchen and set his bag over the counter. He glance around the room but the black cat was nowhere to be seen. With a shrug of his shoulder the detective took out a can of cat food and opened it. He poured the contents in an old bowl and let it rest next to the bag, "Kitty?"

Like a normal cat the feline ignored him completely and he set on the task of finding the black furred ball. He searched the living room, the bathroom and finally his room. He found the feline comfortably sleeping on his bed and he stopped at the door and sighed. He had never had a cat before, but these three days had been almost enough for him to say he now knew what a cat was. Lazy, arrogant and selfish.

After a roll of his eyes he made his way to the bed and grabbed the sleeping cat. The cat's purring continued on uninterrupted but azure eyes blinked sleepily and rested on his face. Seemingly pleased of its safety the cat snuggled against his chest.

"Come, come now kitty. I just got you some new food, and please, do eat this one. I don't have more brands to choose from if you don't like them," Kenshin hushed to the cat as he ushered it to the bowl over the counter. He let go of the kitty and watched in detail as the cat once again sniffed at the food before ignoring it. He sighed and opened a second can and only took out a little bit. He placed the spoon in front of the cat's nose, but the cat only scrunched its nose and turned away. "No appetite, eh?"

Kenshin sighed and left the cat to her own devices. He could do little else, after all. He moved to his couch and dropped there and rested his head against it. Eyes close and breathing evening he began to doze off peacefully when he was abruptly jolted awake by the sound of his cellphone.

He grabbed his mobile and pressed it to his ear, "Yes?"

"Why haven't you drop by my office?" the thunderous sound of Hiko's voice scared the sleep away.

"I was tired?" offered Kenshin weakly. It was the truth, but Hiko would never consider that a valid excuse.

"You said you had the dead witch's spells tracked," reminded Hiko, once again nudging him about the importance of it all.

"I have a_ cat_," said Kenshin and shrugged his shoulder, "It was Justine's familiar."

"Bring it!" After that Hiko hanged up abruptly.

Kenshin let his mobile slip from his hand and fall next to him on the couch lifelessly. Purple eyes turned to the cat a few meters away currently cleaning his fur. A sigh escaped his tired and dried lips and he moved to the cat and once again caged it on his arms, "Well Kitty, we are going to visit gramps," he said with feigned joy.

The cat merely eyed him dismissively and let herself be carried. Kenshin stopped at the kitchen and eyed the food cans for a moment before grabbing the opened ones, "Well, at least the stray cats will be happy."


End file.
